NEADAP at FAO Session on Commercializing the Feed and Livestock Sector in East Africa

Ettema was able to share insights into the work that has been done in the SNV Kenya Market-led Dairy Programme (KMDP), highlighting the role of PUM and the importance of good data in commercializing the feed and livestock sector. He also emphasized the potential of Rumen8, a powerful tool for diet formulation of dairy cows in East Africa that can help farmers optimize their livestock rations and improve productivity.

In the panel discussion, Ettema had the opportunity to discuss Rumen8 with the team from FAO, who expressed great enthusiasm for the tool and its potential to play a prominent role at FAO. FAO Kenya will also be hosting two PUM experts in the coming weeks who have completed training on Rumen8.

The panel discussion also included representatives from Agriassist/Agriharvest Kenya, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), and Perfometer Kenya (David Maina). Eric de Jongh and Irene Kiplangat of Agriassist/Agriharvest Kenya discussed the Feed Kitchen business model, which was used as a case study by Louisa Nelle, FAO. Ariane van Beuzekom of RVO focused on the role of mistakes in private initiatives and the importance of business models that involve local entrepreneurs.

Other presentations from the session included overviews of the feed and livestock sector in East Africa, the importance of feed and fodder for nutrition and health, and FAO and Washington State University studies on the link between feed, livestock, pastoralism, and nutrition. Country cases from Somaliland, Kenya, and Ethiopia were also presented.

Overall, the session was a valuable opportunity for us to share insights into the work that NEADAP and its partners are doing to commercialize the feed and livestock sector in East Africa. We were able to promote Rumen8 to a key audience at FAO, which could lead to new opportunities for the program to be used to improve livestock productivity and food security in the region.